Insert Witty Banter Here
by Out-Of-Control-Authoress
Summary: A collection of one-shots dedicated to Yu-Gi-Oh. Now Playing: Somehow, as he sat there beside her, that smile of hers made everything feel just a little bit better.
1. A Series of Unfortunate Decisions

So, I was extremely bored, and was a little bit hyper, so I figured…hey, why not satisfy the yaoi fans of my fic, NSA, and write some crack-ish shonen-ai (yes, because there is no sex) situations that could have arisen in particular parts of chapters?

**If you have not read No Strings Attached, you may not understand a lot of the stuff going on in this one-shot. You have been forewarned.**

REMEMBER: There are only going to be…like…a few of these in this collection that are related to NSA. They are to satisfy MY cravings too, you know. (stubborn grunt) Not all of them are necessarily romantic (of the NSA ones)

Note: If you haven't read past chapter 15, this will spoil later chapters for you.

First up: BakuraxMalik

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Insert Witty Banter Here

A Series of Unfortunate (Bad) Decisions

"You idiot." Malik hissed, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

Bakura smiled coldly at the Egyptian, "no, Malik."

"Yes, you _are _an idiot." Malik snapped. He was extremely mad at the spirit, and the rage was clear as day. "Don't you get that you might've just screwed us over completely? She'll tell her friends that we're just as evil as expected, and then we'll be _fucked_ for allies, thanks to you!"

Bakura didn't respond.

"Answer me, damn it!" Malik shouted, grabbing Bakura's shoulders with more force than necessary. He shook him a couple times just to make a point.

"I did what was necessary." The spirit replied in a monotone, his eyes half-lidded in what appeared to be boredom. He didn't make a move to remove Malik from his person.

Ryou was so angry that he was completely silent on the issue.

Malik's face twisted in unadulterated rage, and he pulled back and punched Bakura in the face. The Spirit of the Ring's head snapped to the side from the impact, and there was a dark red mark already where Malik's fist had connected with the spirit's face.

"You shouldn't have done that," Bakura said quietly, spitting some blood from his mouth where he must've bitten his cheek. Before Malik had realized what had happened, Bakura used his freed hand to grab hold of the front of Malik's shirt.

He pulled the blonde towards him forcefully, and used the momentum to spin around and literally throw Malik to the ground. He was on top of the young man in an instant, wrestling him into immobility, pinning his arms above his head with one arm and sitting on his stomach. His other arm went to Malik's throat, not tightly, but with enough pressure to assure that the Egyptian would not struggle.

"Listen to me, you witless fool." Bakura snarled, his face barely inches from Malik's, "what I did was absolutely necessary. We have to ascertain immediately that we are not loyal to either side. The fact that we are going to help these children's side of the war is only due to convenience for _us._"

Malik should have just agreed. Hell, he _did_ agree. He knew what Bakura meant. He knew that Bakura was right.

But in a moment of complete stupidity, Malik did the opposite to what he should have done.

"Yeah, well, Bakura," Malik continued in a hiss, closing more distance between their faces, "fuck you."

And he began to struggle to get the thief off of him.

Typically, Malik would have been able to throw someone that was on top of him _off_. However, Bakura was an extremely skilled fighter and knew just how to wedge himself to avoid losing whatever upper hand he'd gained. In this particular instance, his 'upper hand' had wedged him right on _top_ of Malik.

He was trying to prove a point. Malik knew that, but the close proximity between them was really starting to piss him off. Malik was one of those people who kind of enjoyed some space between himself and the next guy.

"Stay down," the thief warned.

Malik, caught up in his frenzy of stubbornness, refused to listen to his comrade.

"Malik…!" Bakura shouted, struggling to keep the younger male down. They struggled for a few more moments, Malik trying to get free and Bakura trying to keep Malik down.

Bakura wanted to make Malik listen and _understand_.

Malik couldn't give less of a crap, and wanted Bakura the heck _off _of him.

Ryou, watching from the figurative sidelines, really had no idea what to do. He reckoned that he really should just let them sort it out themselves. He'd already figured out what Bakura had been doing, intimidating Luna like that, and had forgiven his other half for his weird way of doing things.

Besides, Bakura was only really doing it all for the thrill of riling his two friends up. At this point, however, he was frustrated at losing his amusement. Now, he just wanted to beat Malik up a bit.

The youngest of the three sighed. This was so dumb.

"Get off," he grunted, trying to hit the spirit with his free hand, "of me!"

Bakura easily blocked the punch, but was having a little more trouble keeping the writing body under him from actually managing to _move_ him.

It was a question of pride at this point, really.

"Stop moving," Bakura hissed through the struggling, "and you won't have a problem."

"Screw you!"

Malik would later regret the next thing he did. In fact, it would bring many a nightmare and later give a certain being that would occupy his head some serious blackmail material.

Bakura, in the effort to keep Malik's flailing arms down, had allowed one of Malik's legs to break free. Malik used this leg, in a moment of blind heat-of-battle, testosterone-fueled man-rage, to knee Bakura in the ass.

This particular motion sent the spirit's upper body forwards.

Due to the close proximity of their faces for the duration of the scuffle, Bakura's _face_ went flying downwards.

And he found himself suddenly lip-locked with a certain dumb ass blonde.

Everything kind of froze, when that happened. Both of them paused, wide-eyed, unable to really gauge what had just happened.

It was only until Ryou spoke, within his link to Bakura, that the trance was very abruptly broken.

_- Oh dear God… - _

Bakura's head snapped backwards, and he rolled off of the Egyptian. As this happened, both of them shouted "Fuck!"

Well, the moment did sort of call for some profanity.

Ryou had wanted to start laughing, but the pure shock at the entire situation had him unable to really say much of anything. It was probably for the better. He didn't want Bakura to start exploring whether or not it was possible to choke the spiritual version of your lighter half.

"You idiot!" Bakura yelled, leaping to his feet, "why the _hell_ did you do that?"

Malik scrambled to his feet also, quite a bit less gracefully than Bakura had, "What? Me? You're blaming _me?_"

"It's _your_ fault."

"_You_ had me pinned to the ground!" Malik pointed out, stabbing a finger in Bakura's direction.

Bakura snorted.

"What?" Malik snapped, "Did you like it?"

Worst possible question to ask. Even thought it _was_ intended with sarcasm, Bakura took the opportunity to take it in the most unintended route possible.

The spirit was on him in an instant, gripping Malik's waist and pulling him close. "Why? Did you?" He asked, his voice a velvety lilt, his eyes burning with lusty fire.

"Hell no!" Malik squirmed in Bakura's grip. "Now let me go, you fool!"

Ryou squeaked.

Bakura drew a caressing hand down the side of Malik's face, which made him freeze and meet the white-haired male's eyes. Bakura stopped to grip Malik's chin, bringing his face close.

"You've hurt my feelings," Bakura murmured quietly, his voice almost husky.

"Good." Malik hissed back, struggling even harder.

Bakura just smiled, a very perturbing, dark, sexy smile.

"No!" Malik shouted, "Don't kiss me _again_!"

The spirit, contrary to Malik's pleadings, did not move. He didn't close any more distance, but he did keep their faces so close that Malik could feel the hot breath on his face.

Pause.

"What? Am I not a good enough kisser?" Bakura queried good-naturedly and drew back, letting go of Malik fully. He crossed his arms, the smile vanishing for a wicked smirk.

Malik was panting from his efforts. "Fuck. You."

The spirit's mouth turned down into a thoughtful frown. "I guess not, then." He shrugged, taking a few steps away from Malik, to allow him some space. The smug grin reformed.

"You…did that on…purpose."

Bakura didn't answer, only continued to grin. There was a mischievous light in his eyes.

Oh yes, he'd definitely done it on purpose.

Ryou twitched. So, when he lost his chance to torment Malik over the Luna thing, he found another way…

Malik glared. If looks could kill, there was no doubt that Bakura would be dead…er. More dead.

He was kind of dead already.

"I do hope that this opened your eyes, Malik." Bakura drawled, turning away from the irate blonde to go back up to the school.

Malik paused, not really sure whether or not he wanted to ask. "Opened my eyes to what, Tomb Robber?"

Well, Malik was certainly full of bad choices that day.

Bakura's grin turned positively feral. "That you'd be the uke in our relationship."

Malik sputtered out a 'what?' at Bakura's very derogatory statement. He nearly tripped as he proceeded to give chase to Bakura, who appeared to be having the time of his life.

Well, no one said that with age came maturity.

Not in Bakura's case, anyway.

_END_

I…really have no words. Which, basically, means that I want to avoid taking responsibility. XD

Review if you liked it. I'm sure that I'll think up a RyouxMalik one…eventually. Ideas in reviews would be appreciated. This really is just a fun thing, to divert from the seriousness that the actual fic has turned to.


	2. Tempted

Warning: Weird and a little disturbing. Perhaps I should be seeking therapy.

NOTE: I know that the title (Insert Witty Banter Here) implies humor, but that was mainly for chapter one. There IS humor, obviously, but there will be some of these that…are not.

This chapter contains: Implied yaoi, and extremely confusing sentences.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Insert Witty Banter Here

Tempted

_An angel lay in the snow, feathers so light that they almost melted into the whiteness below them. He stepped forwards. He wanted to touch the angel. He was tempted… so, so very tempted._

The spirit stood; an ominous, towering figure above the sleeping child in the bed. Even though his body was not corporeal, he could almost see the shadow that he cast over the pale, unsmiling face of the one below him.

_The angel was beautiful. _

Damn him, looking so peaceful in his bed. Why did he have to always look like that? Why did he always have to make him feel dirty?

This boy was a monster. He was _his_ bogeyman. He haunted him.

_The angel watched him with those deep, sparkling eyes that were too ethereal to belong to anything human. The angel's eyelids drooped, however. The angel was tired. The angel wanted to sleep._

The boy made him feel every bit as much of a monster.

_He yearned for its touch. He could feel it. The angel made him feel blissful and without care. The angel made him feel whole._

He couldn't _blame_ the boy for making him feel so evil. After all, this was the very boy who shied away from his touch, fearful of pain. He'd caused so much pain in his life. He'd cut deeply, into the very essence of this once-innocent soul. He'd tainted him. He'd tainted him with the blood of his lost innocence.

That was unforgivable, of him, for he had to real reason. He acted without cause. He had no cause. There was nothing for him, other than this sleeping _thing_ before him.

_So, so very beautiful._

This child was the embodiment of weakness. He hated to look at him. But for some reason, even though the boy was the quintessence of all things he loathed, he couldn't tear his eyes away. Not tonight.

_So, so very tempting._

It was unsettling him, watching the boy. It was drawing something up from within his core. The boy was unconsciously drawing the beast out of him.

This boy would be the death of him. Did he really intend to make him face all that he was?

Of course not. The boy didn't even know that he was doing it. The boy hated him. The boy saw him as a monster. The boy saw _him_ as his weakness.

_Gold mixed with white._

How long would he sleep, anyway? It had been so long. If the boy woke up, he'd be freed from this trance. He could go.

_The angel closed its eyes, leaving him alone. It began to fade, its beauty giving in to something horrible._

The hate and viciousness began to melt away, giving forth to something else entirely. The feelings of loathing dissipated into feelings of awe and wonder.

The child was beautiful, he decided. It was an odd thought to behold, but it was true.

_He now faced a monster._

He faced an angel.

_It was horrible._

He was beautiful.

_The monster continued to sleep, unaware that it was torturing the being before it. It didn't know. It would never know._

His blonde angel lay in the white covers of his bed, his caramel skin a deep contrast to the sheets he lay on.

He stepped forwards. His hand moved to touch the angel. He was tempted…so, so tempted.

He was so, so very beautiful.

The boy murmured softly, in his sleep.

His hand continued to reach. So close…

The boy's eyes opened.

He vanished, his desires unsatisfied. It was fine. Time would prove in his favor.

He would forever be tempted.

_No longer tempted, he turned away from the monster, leaving it to sleep. It would wonder where he was, when it woke. But he'd be long gone._

It was one punishment that this lost creature of darkness knew he could face. He didn't mind so much.

_END_

Very, very vague. I know. Cookies to anyone who can figure out who the two characters were. I think I dropped a couple hints.

HINT: Bakura's not involved. XD

Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Suggestions will be considered. Flames will be peed on.


	3. Dear Heart

I'm not entirely sure how to go about this one, so I'm just going to give it a whack. XD

Summary: Dear (Stupid) Heart, I'd like to let you know that you're driving me crazy. Why him of all people? Why does it have to be him? Manipulashipping

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, people.

Insert Witty Banter Here

Dear (Stupid) Heart

Anzu Mazaki tapped her pencil against the surface of her desk, eyes half-lidded and barely focused on the note that she was _supposed_ to be writing down. She always did so well in school. She would usually have been paying attention. She would do her work, and do it well. It was just how Anzu operated. She was a perfectionist, and it often got her pretty far in academics.

Yeah.

She frowned, stopping the tapping. What was with her brain, today? She just couldn't get _that_ off of her mind.

"Mazaki?"

She glanced up at the teacher, whose bespectacled eyes were on her. He brandished the chalk in one hand, and had turned to address her personally. In front of the entire class.

"Yes, sir?"

"Are you taking the note, or simply reading the back of your eyelids?"

Anzu blushed, realizing her painfully obvious folly. Well, it wasn't her fault. She didn't do this _often_, so she was lacking in practice when it came to slacking off!

"No, sir." Anzu answered meekly, lowering her head in humiliation. She caught the snickers of a few of her classmates. All eyes were on her. "I'm taking the note."

Her teacher turned back to the board, not satisfied with her answer, but accepting that she wasn't going to elaborate any further.

At least he stopped interrogating her. Otherwise, she might've just died from the embarrassment.

She could still feel eyes on her, laughing at her silently.

_Stop staring at me._ She screamed in her mind, begging that they would just go back to their work, or knowing them, lack thereof. As long as the staring just stopped. She really couldn't handle it.

The lack of sleep was really starting to take a toll on her.

She turned her pencil around, lead down on the lined paper before her. _I should start taking the note._ She thought.

She began writing, but instead of taking down the note that was probably going to be on her next test, she started writing something entirely different.

_Dear (Stupid) Heart… _She began, glaring at the page even as she wrote.

_I'd just like to let you know that you're driving me crazy._

That was an understatement.

_I mean, of all the good-looking guys at our school, why'd you pick that one? Why _him_? Why, oh why, does it have to be him?_

Not that she was saying he was good looking, because honestly, the guy really didn't need anything _else _inflating his ego. It was already impossibly huge, as far as she thought.

What, with the way he looked at her. With that cocky grin. With that look in his eyes, like he knew. He didn't know. He didn't know anything. Jerk.

_This is getting beyond ridiculous. Did you know that thanks to you, I tripped up a routine at the studio? I mean, my teacher was so upset at me! It was parent night! Why couldn't you have done that to me during a rehearsal?_

She growled at her page. _Because that would've been far too easy, wouldn't it?_ She thought angrily, nearly snapping her pencil in half.

Anzu fervently clasped her free hand into a fist, imagining his head inside. She wished that he would just disappear. Then she wouldn't have to think about him. Then it wouldn't be a problem. He wouldn't always be there, at the forefront of her mind, mocking her with those eyes and grin of his.

_I don't get it, _She wrote, _Why Domino High, anyways? He really should have just stayed in Egypt. It would have saved me so much trouble. He did on purpose. I know he did. _

She discreetly turned her body, just enough so that she could look at him out of the corner of her eye. Brown met violet.

_Damn it! _She cried out in her mind. He was _still_ staring at her! What gives? She hoped that he hadn't noticed that she'd met his eyes on purpose. She didn't want to make him any more sure of himself.

A cough, sounding suspiciously like a choked laugh, came from behind her. She just about turned around to whack him in the head, show him right. But she didn't.

Why didn't she…?

_Because I'm in love with the bastard._ She groaned in her head, her shoulders slumping visibly. Her friends didn't know it, but she knew it. He knew it, or so she thought.

He made her so frustrated that she'd resorted to cursing. That was quite a feat, considering Anzu prided herself on being very well-kept and proper.

_I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him…_

She chanted those three words over and over in her head. Still, she couldn't bring herself to believe them. Her heart was just too set on a very different viewpoint.

Her hand brushed the paper, and she looked down at it.

…_he did. _The last words on the page.

She continued to write.

_I guess it could be worse, though. Right? It could be Otogi, or Jonouchi, or Honda. _She shivered at the thought. _At least it's him. He's unpredictable and interesting…dangerous, even. Nothing like me, nothing like me at all. Maybe that's what's so attractive: that sense of not knowing that he always brings. Because I don't know. When I'm with him, I don't know what's going to happen._

_I probably never will. And I think that I enjoy that, that sense of not having to be perfect. That sense that I'm letting go and taking a fall._

_Yeah. Nice way to put it. Taking a fall. I'm falling. Falling for him. _

_Jerk, jerk, jerk, jerk, jerk…_

She dropped her pencil. Okay. Enough of that. She really needed to get to that note.

Her eyes fell to the little note again. It wasn't complete. Not yet. Just one sentence wouldn't hurt, would it?

_Congratulations, Anzu. You're in love with him._

She rolled the words around in her head. _I'm in love with him_.

"I'm in love with him…" She whispered, so quietly that no one could have heard her. No one acknowledged her. Good. The words were for her ears only.

And maybe his. Someday.

Anzu pulled out a fresh piece of paper. It was definitely time to start writing down that note.

This time, with more amusement than before, she wrote the words at the corner of the page nestled underneath her new paper. She just had to do it. Get the last two words off of her shoulders. A name. Just a name. The name of he who held her heart.

Why was she so corny?

She sighed, shook her head, and got to work on the hefty note up on the board.

* * *

Malik Ishtar tapped his pencil against his knee, eyes half-lidded and completely unfocused on the note that he was _supposed_ to be writing down. He found school useless. He never paid attention. He left his work unfinished, and never did well. It was just how he operated. Malik didn't care. School just wasn't his forte.

Yeah.

He stopped tapping, and at just about the same time, the brown-haired girl in front of him stopped rapping her pencil against her desk.

Maybe he should ask Ryou to come over and play video games after school.

"Mazaki?"

He looked up at the teacher, at the same time that her head shot up. What a nice teacher, singling students out in class whenever the opportunity knocked.

"Yes, sir?" She all but whispered. He could feel the shame coming off of her in waves. How embarrassing.

"Are you taking the note, or simply reading the back of your eyelids?"

From the part of her face that he could see, she was blushing. Quite profusely, actually. It must have been one of her first times getting called out for not paying attention in class.

_Amateur._ He mused silently.

"No, sir." She said, and Malik heard some of the kids around them snicker. Oh yes, the good student getting in trouble was just _so _funny. Malik rolled his eyes. They were so stupid, sometimes. "I'm taking the note."

"Good." The teacher went back to writing.

Malik's eyes moved down to the note-less paper on his desk. Yeah, like he was going to actually bother writing all that stuff down. He'd just borrow it from Ryou later, and do it if he felt like it. He was tired today, and didn't feel like making the effort.

He wanted to do something more interesting. Perhaps this was the thrill of all his prior misadventures speaking, but school life was dreadfully dull.

This was Japan, wasn't it? Couldn't Godzilla attack, or something?

Anzu began to write, and Malik perked up a bit. Was she actually taking the note? It wasn't anything important, as far as he knew. Usually she just memorized useless crap like this. She was such a nerd.

_A pretty hot nerd._ A treacherous little part of his mind said.

He grimaced, and shook the thought off. He didn't even want to go there. Not again.

She seemed to tense, as if she could tell that his eyes were on her. He gave a Cheshire cat grin. She was so amusing to bug sometimes.

Malik had always assumed that Anzu was the cheerleading, preppy, I-love-puppies kind of idiot of Yugi's gang. After beginning to attend Domino High, Malik had realized that she was quite the contrary. Anzu was popular, but intelligent. She was also aggressive, friendly, funny, loyal, and unique. She was a dancer, but wasn't the snobby stereotype that was often enforced by the stupidity of high school cliques. She made friends with a variety of people, ranging from jock and joker types, to popular types, to meek and nerdy types. She just liked people, he guessed.

_She's quite a girl._ He reflected, and his expression turned to one of careful contemplation.

He'd never quite met anyone like Anzu, the friendship-obsessed, well-meaning young woman who had a tendency to make more of an impression than someone like her should.

Anzu shifted, and Malik blinked, realizing that he'd been staring at her. She turned, in what she must've thought to be a discreet movement, and looked at him. She caught his eyes, and jumped a bit in her seat, turning back around sharply.

_Very smooth, Anzu._

He chuckled, but hid it behind a cough. He didn't want to embarrass her any further than she already was, what with the teacher and all.

_Dear God, _Malik thought gravely, _I think I'm in love with her._

No part of his mind spoke up on those words' behalf. Oh well. He'd known for a while. It was a long time coming, he supposed.

The remainder of the class passed with little incident. The teacher was definitely having the time of his life sniping at students who weren't paying attention, because it happened six more times to other kids during the period.

The bell rang, and everyone stood up to gather their stuff. Malik didn't get up right away. He had a free period next, so he wasn't in any real hurry. As students bustled out the door and into the crammed hallways, Malik stood up leisurely. He picked up his books, making sure that he didn't forget anything.

Anzu finished getting all of her stuff, and tore out of the classroom with impressive speed. A piece of paper fell to the floor beside her desk.

_How cliché, _Malik snickered in his head, _she dropped something. Well, I ought to follow along and deliver this to her personally after school._

Like hell he would. He'd give it to Yugi after school, whose locker was only a few away from his own, and have _him_ deliver whatever it was back to her.

He knelt down to pick it up. It wasn't folded or anything, just laying open in all of its innocence.

Malik grimaced slightly. _I really shouldn't read it, _He told himself, _I really, really shouldn't._

Ah, screw Anzu's privacy. His curiosity was way more important.

_I'm such an asshole, _He thought in amusement.

"See you teach," He murmured, walking out with the paper in his hand. He didn't look at the older man, just continued into the hallway and through the crowd. He'd go to the library, or something. Read some manga, maybe.

"Dear stupid heart..." He read aloud to himself, quietly enough that he wouldn't be eavesdropped on accidentally, just in case Anzu's words were incriminating in any fashion.

He didn't read the rest of it aloud, and his eyebrows shot up as he scanned the rest of the would-be letter to her heart.

The last two words, after her spiel about the person that she was apparently in love with, were scrawled messily in the bottom corner of the page.

He grinned. Well, how nice of her.

Tucking the paper into his pocket, he sauntered down the corridor, making his way to the stairs leading to the library.

He wouldn't be giving the note to Yugi.

* * *

Anzu dropped her books onto the table that she always sat at for her free period. She'd luckily gotten that note all written up. At least the teacher hadn't decided to talk to her after school, or anything.

She moved her textbook out of the pile, and her eyes found a small pile of blank papers.

_Oh no._

The letter…the letter that she'd written to her heart about _him_. It was gone. Had she thrown it out?

No. She would have remembered doing that. She'd stuck it on top of the blank papers. She knew she'd done it.

She'd dropped it. Somewhere between the classroom and the library, Anzu had dropped one of the most convicting pieces of paper she'd ever written.

And anyone could have picked it up.

She looked up at the sound of footsteps. Malik Ishtar was walking into the library, looking relaxed as usual. Unlike usual, however, there was a very goofy grin on his face. Not his typical mocking smile. This was different. He was pleased about something.

He caught her eye, and stopped his walk. He turned towards Anzu, and began to approach her table.

_Crap._

* * *

The look on her face was priceless, Malik figured. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Well, she had reason for it. But he was still going to enjoy the moment.

"Hey, Anzu." He greeted casually, stopping across from her, the table forming a barrier between them.

She gulped. "M-Malik."

Her hands were in mid-spreading of papers. Ah, so she knew that she'd lost it, then.

He almost felt bad for her. Almost.

"What's up? Did you lose something? You look a little worried." He forced down the bubbling laughter. Oh, she was so fun to mess with.

"Just some…er…homework. Can't find it." She replied quietly, unsurely, as if she were suddenly having trouble speaking to him.

Well, yeah. She figured that the note she'd written had fallen into the hands of evil. Truth be told, she was right.

"Oh." He said, "Well, I think I've got it, actually. You dropped it in the classroom."

Anzu's eyes went wide, horrified. "You didn't…read it, did you?"

"What's the problem?" Malik queried innocently, cocking his head to the side. "It's just homework, right?"

Anzu went bright red. She looked about to pass out, actually.

Malik was almost mortified with himself. Almost.

He reached into his pocket, taking out the letter that he'd folded for himself. "Take a breath, Anzu," He told the girl, grinning at her, "Don't worry."

"About…about what?"

"It's fine. The feeling's mutual." He winked at her, "Call me whenever." He turned to leave, and from what he could see of her, she looked about to die of embarrassment. He glanced back over his shoulder, "See you tomorrow."

He decided to put her out of her misery and not say anything further, and briskly walked from the library. He felt quite chuff with himself, actually.

_Oh yeah, _He thought with a grin. The confession letter hadn't been enough; he'd had to make sure.

_She totally digs me._

_END_

Choppy, corny, and probably a little weird. All in all, I'd say it's a success. (Rolls eyes) Thanks for reading. Feel free to review!

Because I like reviews.

And they make me happy.

So please, review. XD


	4. Fool Me Once, Fool Me Twice

Guys, I'm going to travel into that which I have never traveled into before…the world of fluffy, lovey-dovey YAOI! I'm feeling pretty stoked. First. Yaoi. Fic. EVER.

YAY!

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I'm pretty sure this would be in the actual series. I don't own The Footprints of God, either. That goes to Greg Iles.

Insert Witty Banter Here

Fool Me Once, Fool Me Twice

The moon cast a soft glow across the ground, mixing with the dim shine of the streetlights that dotted the sidewalk. Little spotlights of yellow pockmarked the roads, and were occasionally occupied for the briefest of seconds by a rushing car. It was a peaceful night. The sky was beautiful, each twinkling star like a happy little thought. Everything was calm. Still. Tranquil.

"Yugi, turn off the light."

The young man in question rolled over in the bed, turning to the ball of blankets lying beside him. "Hm?"

"Turn off the light." The ball repeated, shifting slightly to get a little more comfortable.

Yugi grinned, "Demanding, aren't we?" He teased, eyeing the ball as it made a low sound of displeasure.

"Come on now, I'm trying to sleep." It would have sounded aggressive, had it not come from a quiet, timid voice that sounded more exasperated than grumpy.

"And I'm trying to read."

"So? It's _my _bed."

Yugi chuckled. It was a typical night, for the two of them. After all, they'd been together nearly two years. They weren't anything official, or even anything super-serious. They just shared a nice companionship. It was something they'd both wanted. Nothing intense. Compassionate, but not intense. Sexual? Often. But not intense.

A white head poked up from inside the ball of sheets, and two irritated brown eyes followed suit, "I'm going to kick you off." He warned, and the head disappeared back into the covers.

"Oh, one minute. Don't get all bent out of shape about it…"

"Already bent into an unnatural one, thank you."

Yugi snickered this time, not feeling any kind of empathy towards his partner whatsoever. "Well, that's your fault, Ryou."

"Thanks. I appreciate the sentiment."

"You're sounding more and more like Bakura every day." Yugi commented casually, leaning his back into the pillow. Ryou's pillows were so very comfy.

"With you, that's probably a good thing."

It probably was. After high school had passed, and Yugi and his friends had all meandered in the general direction of adult life, everyone had grown and changed. Yugi, in one instance, had become something of a smart aleck, and often exercised this aspect of his personality with Ryou.

Which, in turn, often got him kicked out of bed.

Somewhere along the way, back when they were eighteen, they'd managed to get themselves into another odd save-the-world expedition. One that ended up splitting the lights from their darker halves. It wasn't too bad, though. Once they'd gotten used to it, they'd all settled down into a new routine, one that included two new, tangible friends.

Bakura had become a friend to the 'gang', no matter how much of a menace he liked to be. Yami had fit in instantly, of course, and had taken up dating Anzu with much vigor. They'd been married just the past fall, actually.

Yami had told Yugi in private one day that Anzu was begging for baby number one. Yugi had promised to stay out of the house for those little trial-and-error runs. Sharing a house with his darkness was the only way both Yugi and Yami could really function properly, and the same went for Bakura and Ryou. It came with some downsides, though. Like Yami and Anzu and their particularly…loud nights.

Those were the days that Yugi often spent with Ryou overnight, which didn't bug either of them. They quite enjoyed one another's company. Yugi loved Ryou, and Ryou loved Yugi.

Bakura loved walking in on them.

"Where _is_ Bakura tonight, anyways? Usually he's got one ear on the door so that he can walk in when…well, you know." Yugi felt a slight blush rise up, turning his ears red, and he tried to shrug it off. No matter how much he matured with age, he'd always be a little bit childlike when it came to certain things. Well, talking about them, at least.

Ryou shrugged, or at least Yugi figured he shrugged. It was kind of hard to tell, with the way he'd wrapped himself up. "He's out at the bar with Malik, Jonouchi, and Honda. They do that almost every Friday."

"Right. Sorry, forgot."

"Retard."

"Hey now, that's not very nice." Yugi chastised, amusement spreading across his face. Ryou was always interesting when he was tired and cranky.

The top of Ryou's head poked up, and his eyes were narrowed with evil glee. "You're right. It's insulting to the mentally ill."

Yugi gasped in mock pain, his book falling onto the bed as his hands made a stabbing motion to his chest. In his moment of complete melodrama, Yugi flung himself onto the ball that was Ryou, which made the white-haired man jump in surprise. "You wound me!" Yugi cried out, having trouble keeping down the bubbling laughter threatening to ruin his act.

Ryou jerked, shoving Yugi off of him. He pulled the blankets off of himself, revealing a bare torso. Yugi's eyes trailed up and down the exposed chest appreciatively.

"See something you like?"

"I like it every time, Ryou."

Ryou rolled his eyes, falling back onto his own pillow. "Mhm, well, at least I _took_ my shirt off. You're planning on sleeping in a dress shirt."

"Stingy, are we?"

The pale man snorted, closing his eyes. He didn't say anything in response to Yugi poking fun at him. It was a common occurrence between the two. They both knew not to take each other's antics seriously.

Yugi sighed dramatically, pulling his tie through the collar and laying it in a heap on the bedside table. "I'm taking it off." He announced, tackling the task of his buttons.

"Good to know." Ryou mumbled, turning to the side. Shivering slightly, he pulled the blankets up to his shoulders.

Yugi made a bit of a show of unbuttoning the shirt as slowly as possible, dragging out the process or removing his arms and dropping the shirt onto the floor in a heap. He'd pick it up in the morning.

On to his bad-tempered partner…

Yugi sidled over to Ryou's side of the bed. The other male made no move to say that he'd noticed Yugi's movements, or even that he really cared. Sliding under the covers, the multi-colour haired young man slipped his arms around Ryou's waist. He always enjoyed the feeling that his arms fit perfectly around the other's narrow hips.

Ryou shivered again, this time at the contact of Yugi's cold arms on his warm body. He groaned slightly, annoyed that Yugi was maintaining the stubborn desire to keep him awake until all hours of the night.

Yugi pulled Ryou's body towards him. Closer, closer, closer…Yugi moved his head so that it was resting over Ryou's ear. Ryou could feel Yugi's breath tickling his cheek. Both of them tensed a little, and then…

"Did you just lick me?"

Yugi couldn't take it anymore. He burst out laughing, the vibrations of his hysteria shaking the entire bed a little bit. Ryou wormed out of Yugi's arms, sitting up and frowning at his bed-mate.

"That was very immature of you, Yugi." Ryou reprimanded, crossing his own arms over his chest.

Yugi managed to force the laughter to a slight chuckle, "What, were you expecting something else?" He queried in a low, rough tone.

Ryou smirked, "Yes, in fact."

"And that was…?"

Perhaps Yugi shouldn't have said anything. He'd figured that Ryou was too tired to play any kinds of games that night. He'd guessed wrong.

Ryou was on top of him almost instantaneously, straddling Yugi's hips. His hands fell on either side of Yugi's head, and he leaned down so that their noses were almost touching. "I was expecting something more along the lines of _this_…" He whispered huskily.

Yugi felt an excited shudder course through him. "Really?" He choked, trying to regain his composure. It wasn't that he didn't like it. In fact, he liked it a lot. He just hadn't been expecting Ryou to act so…unusually, considering his mood.

Ryou brought a hand up and trailed the side of Yugi's face with a finger, "Mm…yes. I was."

"I thought you weren't feeling kinky tonight." Yugi muttered under his breath, turning into the nice feeling of Ryou's gentle strokes along his cheek.

Ryou let out a deep chuckle of his own, "Now, now. What happened to the innocent, naïve little Yugi we all knew and loved?"

Oh, so now Ryou was teasing _him_.

"You weren't much better." Yugi shot back, not daring to move. When Ryou got like this, it was better to leave him to his own devices.

"Or so you think."

"What, so you were a closet pervert?"

Ryou's lips twitched slightly, in a mysterious smirk. Okay, so he was definitely enjoying all angles of his moment of manipulation and power over Yugi.

"Take your pants off and we'll find out." Ryou said in a tone that was too soft and pure for the situation he was trying to instigate.

Yugi cocked one slender eyebrow, "Dirty talk, now?" He asked, his voice calm despite how rigid and tense his body had become. His muscles were clenched so tightly, Yugi wondered if he was going to cause some permanent damage. Ryou had most definitely surprised him, to have gotten this kind of reaction.

Ryou hummed against Yugi's body, his finger moving down to trace the lines of Yugi's chest. He wasn't super built or anything, but Yugi had turned out fairly well-toned. He didn't have Yami's more defined chest, but Yugi wasn't scrawny anymore, at least.

Suddenly, Ryou's hand snapped out. He snatched up the book that had lain forgotten within the folds of the bed. Ryou pulled it up to eye-level, scanning the title. "_The Footprints of God_." He read, "Is it good?"

"Very. It meshes science and religion in a very interesting way."

"Sounds interesting." Ryou mused, laying the book onto the bedside table, right on top of Yugi's tie. "You won't get any more reading done, tonight."

"Really, now?" Yugi purred, reaching up to gently tug on Ryou's neck, bringing his face down towards him. A grin twisted onto his face, and he let their lips meet gently. His mouth worked against Ryou's in a slow, tender fashion. He wasn't about to let Ryou get all rough right off the bat.

Ryou's hand knotted in Yugi's messy hair, and he pulled away. "Don't think this means you've won." He warned, before crushing their lips together with much more force than Yugi had used. Fire exploded between them, and everything blurred with hazy lust and desire.

This kiss was much more passionate than the previous one, and they found their arms and bodies intertwined by the time they had to rip away from each other for air. Ryou had wound up back on his side of the bed, but with Yugi still pretty much wrapped around him.

Ryou grinned at his partner, "Had enough…yet?" He inquired breathlessly, running his hand through Yugi's hair.

"I…concede." Yugi panted, letting his arms fall from Ryou's hair and face onto the bed. "You've obviously gotten your second wind, whereas I…have not."

"Nah, I've just got more stamina." Ryou joked.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Ryou leaned towards Yugi, a vicious smirk on his face, "Have I wounded your manly pride?"

"You've wounded it so many times, there's barely any of it left to be hurt nowadays." Yugi replied, grinning right back in all of his smart-ass glory.

Ryou chuckled at the joke, his eyes still misty from their brief, but still strong, moment of passionate intertwinement. Yugi's mind wandered once more, as they laid in silence, trying to catch their breaths.

Yugi had been right in his thoughts earlier. The two of them had definitely changed very much in the past years. So much so, that should they have been propelled back in time, their younger selves probably would have not seen much resemblance.

Still, it was experience and their very companionship that had changed them. That, and the constant exposure to their other halves and their own personalities. Yami and Bakura had softened, ever so slightly, over the past couple years. Yugi and Ryou had lost a little bit of their naiveté.

And Yugi wouldn't change anything, not one solitary bit of it, for the whole world.

"Can I read my book, now?" Yugi asked in as polite a tone as he could muster, "I was at a good part, too."

"No."

"Why?"

"I told you that there would be no reading tonight."

"I was thinking that was if we had sex."

"Well, no."

"'No' to what?"

"To both."

"Why?"

"I'm tired."

"So?"

"So, I'm not going to be much fun if I'm tired."

"Doesn't bother me." Yugi murmured into Ryou's hair, having pulled the white-haired male back into his embrace, "Besides, I've got a Tournament on Sunday, and I won't see you for a couple days."

"Addict."

"What?"

"You're an addict."

"That was random. And to what, pray tell?"

"To sex."

Yugi laughed throatily, tightening his grip on Ryou's body, "Well, I already knew _that_." He nuzzled the back of Ryou's head, breathing in the nice scent of recently shampooed hair. Ryou always used a shampoo with very little scent to it, so he never smelled much other than…clean. It was refreshing. He'd always loved the way Ryou smelled, or rather, didn't.

When Ryou said nothing, Yugi moaned into Ryou's hair. "Ry-_ou_," He begged, "Please?"

"Tomorrow."

"Morning?"

Ryou sighed, accepting the slight defeat. It wasn't like Yugi was giving him any other options. "Sure, why not. Bakura will probably crash at Malik's anyways."

"Thank you." Yugi said sincerely, nipping Ryou's ear lightly. Ryou swatted Yugi away with a hand.

"That means you let me sleep tonight."

"Oh, fine."

"Wait."

Yugi blinked, having leaned over to pick up his book again. Ryou sat up, crawling across the short distance and pushing Yugi onto his back again. Ryou leaned down to kiss Yugi again, this time trailing kisses down his throat and to his collar bone.

"No hickeys, now. Yami will ask questions."

"Because he definitely doesn't already know what we'll have been doing." Ryou muttered sarcastically, before going back to Yugi's lips. Yugi had been about to make a comment, but Ryou's mouth on his silenced any responses from the multi-colour haired man.

There wasn't a doubt in Yugi's mind that Ryou was one of the best kissers in the entire world. Ryou had already sent Yugi into a daze, and he felt his mind whirling as Ryou gently pulled away from the contact.

"Now," Ryou whispered gruffly, running his fingertips down Yugi's chest again, a shiver raking up Yugi's spine.

"Now…?" Yugi queried, his eyes half-lidded from the pleasure of Ryou's hand on his chest and the after-effects of Ryou's kiss.

The white-haired, pale man pulled away, all sensuality lost upon him. He grabbed Yugi's face, forcing him to look his way.

"Now," Ryou continued in a tone that was so angelic, it was a little bit creepy. "Turn off the damn light."

_End_

Yep. It was chalk full of innuendos and almost-smutty moments. I hope you enjoyed it, and drop a review on your way out if you can.

Happy summer!


	5. Just Smile for Me

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or all things directly affiliated. However, I do own this plot (?)

Can I really call it a plot? Seriously, it's a one-shot! Whoa! Hm…well, I own this extraordinarily short, somewhat pointless plot! But it's cute! (I hope)

**SiblingShipping – MokubaxShizuka**

Insert Witty Banter Here

Just Smile for Me

_Stupid big brother…_

It was a circular mantra in his head, continuously being repeated as he found himself growing madder and madder at the family member who was his hero and only true friend.

How hard was it just to take a little time off to play one quick game with one's brother? Well, it was hard enough for Seto, obviously, or else he wouldn't have slammed the door on him like that. He had all but punched Mokuba in the face.

The young teen found himself wondering if getting punched in the face would have been less of a stinging blow to his already low sense of pride.

_Darn it all!_

Mokuba balled his hands into tight, angry fists. How dare him! How dare Seto do that to him! Was there not one minute sense of familial love left in his big brother?

Chances were that the answer was a cold, painful 'yes'. At least, that was how Mokuba saw it. Even if his brother had slightly given up on the whole 'I must end Yugi's dueling career' gig, there was still that ever-looming fact that Kaiba Corp ran his brother's life.

"Well, why doesn't he just go get married to Kaiba Corp Headquarters, then…?" Mokuba grumbled under his breath, kicking a small pebble on the sidewalk. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, bowing his head and letting his long, black, shaggy mane fall to obscure his face.

With a loud, long-suffering sigh, Mokuba threw his head up and centered his angry glare at the sky. How much he hated those stupid, puffy clouds. They represented happiness and joy and _fun_. At the moment, anything that represented any kind of positive feeling was on Mokuba's hit list.

_Why do things always have to be like this? _He wondered, squinting at the bright sunlight that was hurting his eyes. His mind had wandered away from the fluffy clouds and back to the angry thoughts towards his _dear_ brother.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid…_

Sometimes he hated his big brother. Sometimes he really, really did.

Opting to try to find some way to both quench his boredom and relieve his mind of his fury with his elder brother, Mokuba turned down the corner and towards the small park that he knew so well. It was the place that his brother and he had always gone to when they wanted to escape their feared step-father. It was the only place in the world that brought Mokuba true tranquility.

A small, wry smile twisted onto Mokuba's face. How funny that he'd be going to the park that he associated with his brother, when he wanted to rid his thoughts of said sibling.

Oh well, it was the only park with an ice cream stand. Or the only one that he knew of. He wasn't too big on taxis, and the limo would just be far too flashy. He wanted to escape for awhile, not draw attention to himself.

The park was fairly close to his home, being implanted directly within the main area of downtown Domino City. It was small, but big enough for someone to be able to disappear for hours and feel comfort that they would not be found. There was one stone pathway that ran straight through the middle of the park, lined with benches and colourful flowerbeds. On the other side of the flowerbeds were little patches of trees and shrubs, planted in no specific pattern. In fact, the only pattern seemed to be no pattern at all. There was a small swing set and slide placed off to the side at the opposite end of the park to where Mokuba was. It was meant to occupy the small children who really couldn't bring forth any real appreciation for this small piece of nature within a bustling city. The ice cream stall was practically dead centre of the park, nestled in between two orange and purple flowerbeds.

Mokuba smiled. Maybe he was just going to get some ice cream. That would calm him down for sure. Ice cream was food for the soul, after all…kind of like chocolate.

His shoes made little clapping sounds as he moved down onto the path, heading at a brisk pace towards the ice cream stand. Heck, maybe he'd even go and take a little go at the playground if he was still bored. Well, after he finished his ice cream, of course.

The young teenager found his mind falling back to old, happy memories of his brother and him hiding within the little group of trees just behind the ice cream stall. The two of them had always prided themselves on their spectacular getaways and awesome hiding spots.

_I hate you, Brother._

He knew, just as the words floated into his mind, that those words were not true.

"Mokuba…?"

Mokuba spun on his heel, towards the bench that he'd just passed. A young girl, maybe a year or so older than him, was sitting with a single scoop of vanilla ice cream. She had long, auburn hair and deep, dark eyes. She was clad in a pair of small jean shorts, and a white t-shirt with a glittery, purple butterfly on the front. Her mouth was open in a small 'o' shape, as she appeared to recognize him.

_Wait, I know that girl. Jounouchi…Jou's sister? What's her name, again?_

"…Shizuka!" Mokuba exclaimed, his entire form practically sagging in relief as he remembered her name. He grinned, rubbing the back of his head, "What brings you here?"

One long, slender finger snapped out as she pointed at the cone in her hand, "Ice cream." She told him simply, letting out a high, girlish giggle. It was kind of musical, Mokuba realized.

_You know, she's kind of cute._

She looked a lot like all of the cute girls in his school. Not cute as in he liked her, but cute as in a cartoon character or a stuffed animal. She seemed fairly sweet, as far as he knew. He really hadn't interacted much with her.

"And you…?" She ventured. Her dark eyes seemed to smile at him. How someone could even manage that was far beyond Mokuba's comprehension. It was just unbelievable that any one person could appear so…happy.

Especially considering all the life-scarring supernatural stuff she'd had to deal with over the time of her brother's dueling debut and beginning career.

Mokuba shrugged in response to her question. "Just kind of had to go somewhere quiet, you know?"

She nodded, still smiling. "I do. It's very pretty here. So calm and quiet and reserved. If I couldn't see the buildings, I'd think that I was out in the country or something!" She laughed quietly, and licked her ice cream.

"That's not why you're here, though, is it?"

Shizuka shook her head. "Not today, at least…"

"Oh. I see."

"Is this a common haunt for you, as well?" She queried, gesturing for him to take a seat beside her. Her ice cream was almost completely finished.

He accepted the offer, "Thanks." He said offhandedly. "And yeah, it is."

"It's so pretty here." Shizuka commented. She continued to finish off her treat until she was all the way down to the cone. With one last, cheerful bite, she was done. She folded her hands in her lap, still smiling.

Mokuba nodded. He was enjoying the quiet conversation between them. Not many people his age got the whole thing where you're supposed to just be calm sometimes. It bothered him immensely, because it was one more thing that separated Mokuba from his peers.

He wasn't super mature or anything, but he liked to think that he was more mature than the average teenager his age.

Shizuka turned towards him, evidently preparing for fully engaging conversation with him. She was probably just trying to be polite. Mokuba certainly appreciated the gesture, and found his foul mood lightening ever-so-slightly by this girl's kindness.

"Mokuba," She began. That smile. That 'light-up-a-room' smile was still on her face. "I'm just wondering something."

"Mhm…?"

"Why did you look so sad before, when you first came here?" She leaned forwards. It was a motion that said that she was greatly anticipating his answer.

Mokuba found himself immediately aware that this was a _girl_, pretty much his own age, leaning not a foot away from his _face_. He felt a heated blush rise up to his face. Why, oh why, did the teenaged hormones have to kick in right then?

He managed to calm himself by turning his gaze to the sky above, pockmarked by those fluffy clouds he'd resented not five minutes before. He leaned forwards on the bench, using his hands, situated between his knees, to keep himself propped up. "Just stuff…"

"That's not a reason, Mokuba." Shizuka chastised, waving a finger at him. The smile turned into a pout.

He blinked at her.

At his silence, she became suddenly resigned. It was quite obvious to Mokuba, then, that she was there for a reason too. She was escaping something.

"I'm not going to tell anyone." She murmured. Her eyes were downcast, long black lashes falling upon dark brown irises. "If you're really hurting, I promise, I can do anything I can to help."

"So you'll help me assassinate my brother, then?"

This time, she blinked at him.

Mokuba let out a derisive chuckle, "Just kidding," He assured her. Well, he was kidding about the murder thing. No one said anything about _maiming_…

"Oh."

They lapsed into silence for a few moments, both of them seeming to mull over their respective problems. Shizuka shifted uncomfortably in her seat, clenching her hands in her lap. Mokuba stayed in the position he'd been in, still facing the sky.

"It _is_ my brother," Mokuba finally admitted. He was mildly annoyed that he was the first to snap and admit his problems aloud. Still, he didn't want to make Shizuka think that he was being rude to her, or anything. She really didn't deserve to feel that kind of treatment. She was far too nice.

Shizuka didn't comment. She just patiently waited for him to elaborate, watching him with those big, liquid brown eyes.

Mokuba bit his lip, before continuing. "He's just driving me so nuts, lately. I just wanted to play one game of chess. I'd hoped that, out of all the games I've tried to get him to play, that he'd play chess with me. It used to be his favourite game…but now, I guess, he's just too _busy_ for silly child's play." He blew out a sigh. "Jerk…" He added, in a barely audible whisper.

"I see," Shizuka mumbled. Her lips pulled down into a tiny frown. She appeared like she was trying to say something, perhaps some comforting words, but was unable to find the appropriate way to do so.

Mokuba didn't mind so much. Her presence and the fact that she'd stayed to listen, even _asked_ to listen, was comfort enough to him.

"What about you?" Mokuba ventured, turning the tables on her. "I mean, you came here for a reason, right?"

She was shocked by the sudden reversal of roles. She was suddenly the speaker, and Mokuba the listener. Well, he had to pay her back for her kindness _somehow._

"Mine isn't nearly as close-tied as yours is." Shizuka warned, "Please, I don't want to sound petty."

"You won't." Mokuba told her, cutting off her thought. "Trust me."

The smile bloomed on her face again. She appreciated the sentiment. "Okay." She said, with a small nod.

Shizuka took a deep breath, and dove into her little tale. "It's the girls at my school. I don't talk to people much, and it's not usually a problem, but…" She trailed off.

"But…?" Mokuba pressed, ushering for her to continue. It wasn't a riveting tale, but Mokuba found himself unusually keen to listen.

"Well, it's a rule at the high school that all second years join a club. It's to get us engaged socially, you know?" She smiled ruefully, "I was put on the committee planning this year's spring dance. I let my teacher choose for me, because I didn't know what to choose. She thought it'd be a great experience, and I'm sure it would have been…but since I don't talk very much to the other girls, they assumed that I was no good."

"Why?"

"…Because last year I was running off with my brother and stuff like that. They thought I was doing bad things like drugs, you know? So they don't really want to be associated with me. They just alienate me, so that I'll maybe quit." Her fists tightened, and Mokuba could catch the smallest hint of tears pooling in her eyes.

Mokuba reached out, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Shizuka, that's just stupid."

"I know! I know. It's so dumb that I'm heaving such dumb problems on you. I'm so sorry-"

Mokuba cut her off with a shake of his head, "That's not what I meant. What I meant is that _they're _stupid for treating you like that, making assumptions like that…it's just so high school isn't it?"

"Yeah," She admitted with a sad laugh. The smile was gone from her face, lost without a trace. "I guess it is."

"You're bigger than them," Mokuba told her. Why he was saying all this, he didn't really know. "So don't listen to their troublemaking, got it? It's so juvenile, and you shouldn't let it get to you."

"I know, but-"

"But nothing!" Mokuba all but shouted at her, "They're just jealous, is all! I mean, you're sweet, happy, caring, and beautiful!" The instant the words were out of his mouth, his face turned an impressive shade of bright, almost neon red.

Shizuka gaped at him for a moment, before flushing, "T-Thank you."

Mokuba tried to recover for his slip. "It's not like I'm proposing to you or anything. I just know a pretty girl when I see one."

Her eyes brightened. She did not speak, but she appeared very touched by his words. "Thank you, Mokuba." This time, there was no stutter, and that brilliant, gentle smile graced her face again.

"That's it." Mokuba said.

"What is?"

He grinned at her; a cheeky, crooked grin. "That smile. It's great. You could light up a room with that."

"Mokuba Kaiba!" Shizuka cried, covering her blushing face with her hands. She was embarrassed, and was trying to hide her pleasure at his flattery.

"Don't let the stupid people get you down, alright?" Mokuba found a happy smile of his own working its way onto his face. "And smile. If you can't do that for anyone else, than do it for me, 'kay? Just smile for me."

Shizuka nodded. His words had helped her greatly, it seemed. Her eyes appeared unburdened, and she sat up straighter, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. So, because Mokuba had helped her so greatly, she smiled.

Mokuba found, very suddenly, that his very gray day had just become very, very bright.

_End_

Blargh! . So corny…

Leave a review if you liked it.


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